a5w page blows up when I try to open it

[lgrupido]

I have an a5w page which is basically a lot of script. The script is tasked with opening an XML file and then importing the data into a bunch of SQL tables.

But when I got to open it, A5 blows up.

This has happened twice before to the same script.

If I open up the file in a text editor, copy the text and put it into a new a5w page, it will work fine. I can save it and reopen it.

But if I then go away from the code for a few days, when I try to reopen the a5w page it all starts again.

I try to open it to edit it or even just too look at the code and blam - I get blown out of Alpha.

Create new a5w page, copy code, repeat.

Any idea what might be going on?

The page is an import page. I am using the function get_from_file to pull in an XML file and then *property_from_xml


This is the only script where I am doing that, so I'm kind of concerned that the "property from xml" might be the issue.

[mikeallenbrown]

Re: a5w page blows up when I try to open it

Sounds like a bug. Try sending this to Alpha's bug email along with a working and non-working a5w page file: [email protected]

[Selwyn Rabins]

Re: a5w page blows up when I try to open it

it is possible that it might be a bug, but i actually think it unlikely that it is a bug in alpha and more likely an issue in your custom xbasic that is parsing your xml file.

you should put a debug(1) in your xbasic code and then run the page in the html editor - live preview pane -- so that you can debug into your code and see which xbasic line is causing a problem.

if you can't debug into the code, then put debugging code into your xbasic script that keeps track of each line of xbasic that code executed.

for example you can add code to your xbasic that follows this pattern

save_to_file("step x just executed" + crlf(),"c:\debug\debug.txt",.t.)


you would need to create a folder on your server called c:\debug

then after the first line in your script you would add

save_to_file("step 1 just executed" + crlf(),"c:\debug\debug.txt",.t.)

after the second line you would add

save_to_file("step 2 just executed" + crlf(),"c:\debug\debug.txt",.t.)

etc.

your debug.txt file will then give you some idea of where your xbasic code is failing.

[Clint2]

Re: a5w page blows up when I try to open it

I have an a5w page which is basically a lot of script. The script is tasked with opening an XML file and then importing the data into a bunch of SQL tables.

But when I got to open it, A5 blows up.

When you open the new A5W page, are you clicking the <%5 Insert Xbasic button and inserting your code into there?

[lgrupido]

Re: a5w page blows up when I try to open it

Selwyn,

The problem is that the code runs perfectly. I can run it all day and never have an error.

Then I let it sit a bit, try to open the page in Alpha and BLAM. I can't open it any longer.

And since I can't open it, I can't debug it.

I'm totally willing to admit that there could be something wrong in the code - but it doesn't turn up while I'm actually executing it.

I sent you the script, I could send you the XML file and the tables it uses if you need me to!

I do have a theory that it might be related to upgrading Alpha, but I'm not 100% sure.

It's possible that the times I tried to open it when it blew up were after I had upgraded alpha to a new version. But even in a case like that, I would hope Alpha could deal with it more gracefully than that. That is just a theory that I won't be able to test properly until the next version comes out.

[Steve Workings]

Re: a5w page blows up when I try to open it

I have a page like that too. Runs fine, but when I try to edit it in A5 throws Windows an error that it's no longer working --- all I can do is close A5 and start again. Then, I needed to edit it a while ago. So Larry, you can right-click on the page and choose "Open With" Notepad. I've done this a bunch of times with this page, published it, it works fine. But still can't edit. I haven't taken the time yet to start chopping out pieces of code until it stops crashing like that. And until I get into it I can't say that it's not my problem -- just haven't yet but the description fits my problem.

Like Larry's page, this is mostly A5 code -- in this case it's a key part of my integration with another web service and another A5 component.

[lgrupido]

Re: a5w page blows up when I try to open it

Yes, that is exactly what I do, open it with notepad, create a new a5w page, and copy the code from one to the other.

I end up with the exact same code in both places, only one blows me out of Alpha and the other doesn't.

I haven't gone as far as actually editing it in notepad but I can see how that would work.

Are you using *property_from_xml in your page by any chance?

[Steve Workings]

Re: a5w page blows up when I try to open it

Are you using *property_from_xml in your page by any chance?

No

[lgrupido]

Re: a5w page blows up when I try to open it

I sent three files to Alpha as a bug report. One currently does not blow up when I open it, the other two do. After I sent those, Selwyn replied to this thread, but I don't know if he's following it.

If I get a resolution, I'll let you know, otherwise, it's not that hard to deal with, just kind of a pita.

I also considered moving some of the code into an xbasic function, so it won't all be encapsulated in an a5w page, but I've had other priorities ...